Taglines and Slogans

Behold the Power of Taglines

Tagline & Slogan Defined
The Oxford English Dictionary definitions for tagline and slogan might surprise you:
Tagline: A punchline. The final phrase or sentence of a joke or story, providing the humour or some other crucial element. [origin obscure]
Slogan: A war-cry or battle cry; specifically, one of those formerly employed by Scottish Highlanders or Borders, or by the native Irish, usually consisting of a personal surname or the name of a gathering-place. [ad. Gael. sluagh-ghairm]

A great tagline is a powerful tool that can help consumers, customers, suppliers, and other interested audiences link your company or product name to a brand promise and message.

After a brand name or company name, the tagline is often the second most noticeable element.

A great tagline can:

Enhance the brand promise
Inspire you to learn more about the brand or company
Differentiate the brand or company from the competition
Create an emotional bond

Seven Tagline Secrets

What makes a great tagline great?

1. It's Memorable A clever turn of phrase has sticking power The shorter, the better, but not always Even when delivered in a foreign tongue, Volkswagen's FAHRVERGNÜGEN garners unparalleled recall 2. It Differentiates - Say it first, say it often The tagline should make a claim that only you can own By saying it first, you pre-empt the competition Yes, the following taglines can be said by many, but these brands said it first and said it often:
	Just Do It
	i'm lovin' it
	The ultimate driving machine

3. It is a Delight to the Ear A great tagline sounds like fine poetry or prose It is crisp and cadent, and pays attention to meter For instance:
	Do the Dew
	Mamma Mia, that's a spicy meatball

4. It sparks the imagination One of the classic advantages of the radio medium to this day, is the use of the listener's imagination One's imagination can easily be brought to bear on short clever taglines where the consumer "fills in the blanks" For instance:
	Snap! Crackle! Pop!
	Does she or doesn't she?

5. It breaks the rules Grammatically disruptive taglines are stop signs that make us pause And that pause is often just long enough to ensure that your message gets across
	Power to the she
	Let's Do Amazing
	Better by Adobe
	Rethink Possible


6. It is trademarkable A tagline can be trademarked if using it has created a secondary meaning As far back as 1907, trademarkable taglines have been created that have secondary meaning
	The greatest show on earth

More recently trademarked taglines of note are:
	There's an app for that

	You are the controller

On the other hand, MSNBC's "Lean Forward" would be too common 7. It isn't forever Times change and taglines should change too Products and companies change People change And taglines change to be relevant for the times and target market For instance, Home Depot modified its tagline in response to the Great Recession:
Before:	You can do it. We can help.
After:	More saving. More doing.

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